D&D 5E Running Eberron in 5e, also setting queries

[Space Jockey]

How do my fellow DMs go about running Eberron for 5e? How do you incorporate stuff like artificers, widespread (but low level) magic which means abundant magic items, dragonmarks, the new races, and so on?

I know there's an UA article for Eberron but it seemed very bare bones, and I didn't like what they did with the artificer, since it's specifically not supposed to be a spellcaster class. Any good homebrews on the artificer?

also, a question thats been nagging me, and one that I'd ask on the Eberron forums, if they still existed: so you have magic as technology, right? What about "natural" forces of nature, like gravity, chemical reactions, and so on? Are those fields just neglected?

Bonus question: while I've never been averse to including firearms in my fantasy settings, Eberron is one of those rare ones where I would actually argue they wouldn't fit...at least, not as gunpowder. Have you DMs ever experimented with firearms that are basically powered by dragonshards, or a magic missile wand hooked up to a rod where pulling a "trigger" activates it?

 

[delericho]

How do my fellow DMs go about running Eberron for 5e? How do you incorporate stuff like artificers, widespread (but low level) magic which means abundant magic items, dragonmarks, the new races, and so on?

I mostly just run it as 5e, using the UA article to fill in the races. The rest of the stuff hasn't come up - nobody wanted to play an Artificer, have a Dragonmark, or use Psionics.

I don't think abundant magic items are something to fear in 5e - the rule that you can only attune 3 at a time puts a natural cap on what can be achieved, and since money isn't actually very useful in 5e an abundance is an oddity but not really a problem.

I know there's an UA article for Eberron but it seemed very bare bones, and I didn't like what they did with the artificer, since it's specifically not supposed to be a spellcaster class. Any good homebrews on the artificer?

Yeah, I didn't like the way they handled the Artificer. Nor, actually, how they did it in 4e either. (Heck, even the 3e version is problematic, though that's down to 3e's item creation rules not really working very well.)

Hopefully, we'll see a full-blown class before too long. I'm not immediately aware of a good homebrew version.

also, a question thats been nagging me, and one that I'd ask on the Eberron forums, if they still existed: so you have magic as technology, right? What about "natural" forces of nature, like gravity, chemical reactions, and so on? Are those fields just neglected?

They're mostly not negated, but they tend to have lots of exceptions. Basically, anywhere there's a magical effect in place the laws of nature are suspended, and Eberron has a lot of magical effects.

The one that generally is suspended in D&D settings is the specific chemical reactions associated with gunpowder...

Bonus question: while I've never been averse to including firearms in my fantasy settings, Eberron is one of those rare ones where I would actually argue they wouldn't fit...at least, not as gunpowder. Have you DMs ever experimented with firearms that are basically powered by dragonshards, or a magic missile wand hooked up to a rod where pulling a "trigger" activates it?

I haven't tried it. And, actually, I wouldn't be at all averse to out-and-out gunpowder weapons in Eberron, because I tend to think they do fit that setting. Certainly, if I were writing an Eberron-like homebrew setting (though I can't think why I might do that...), I'd add gunpowder weapons in as almost my first step.

 

[iserith]

How do my fellow DMs go about running Eberron for 5e? How do you incorporate stuff like artificers, widespread (but low level) magic which means abundant magic items, dragonmarks, the new races, and so on?

I know there's an UA article for Eberron but it seemed very bare bones, and I didn't like what they did with the artificer, since it's specifically not supposed to be a spellcaster class. Any good homebrews on the artificer?

I use the D&D 5e rules and UA article as-is and just use the D&D 3.5e Eberron Campaign Setting as the lore. I think Eberron is best for episodic play that turns the pulp fiction volume up to 11. I'm currently creating a D&D 5e campaign, 3rd to 10th level, one session per level, each one set in a different cool part of the setting like a tour of Eberron. Each scenario starts in medias res so that very little time is spent on expository info-dumps on the front end - just straight to the pulp action. Big set pieces with over-the-top villains and their meddling henchmen are the order of the day.

I'm also setting up achievements for players to earn while playing each scenario. These translate into hero points (see DMG) that you can use in the next scenario. I've also included ways to earn some achievements during character creation.

[sblock]
Catchy Name
Create a pulpy name for your character that says something about him or her e.g. Doc Savage or Chuck Dagger.

Genre Savvy
Create and post a character using an Eberron-specific race, feat, or other option from Unearthed Arcana.

Pithy Backstory
Create and post an evocative character background/personality of 140 characters or less e.g. "A half-orc deserter from the Shadow Marches with a zeal for adventure, a criminal record, and a craving for fried toad."[/sblock]
I plan on having a large pool of players in this game (via Roll20) so that when I have openings in my schedule, I can just announce a game and whoever can make it signs up. I will track everyone's achievements and the results of each adventure in the campaign forum for all to see.

also, a question thats been nagging me, and one that I'd ask on the Eberron forums, if they still existed: so you have magic as technology, right? What about "natural" forces of nature, like gravity, chemical reactions, and so on? Are those fields just neglected?

I don't rule anything out in Eberron. If I need something to be included to fit what I'm going for, I'll come up with a genre-appropriate explanation.

Bonus question: while I've never been averse to including firearms in my fantasy settings, Eberron is one of those rare ones where I would actually argue they wouldn't fit...at least, not as gunpowder. Have you DMs ever experimented with firearms that are basically powered by dragonshards, or a magic missile wand hooked up to a rod where pulling a "trigger" activates it?

They would fit fine and the rules in the DMG work. If you want to be more creative with it, there's certainly plenty of ways to reskin the existing rules for firearms.